IND vs SA: Watch - Shardul Thakur Suffers Swelling After Getting Hit By Gerald Coetzee's Bouncer

It was a hard day at the office for the Indian cricket team during the first Test of the two-match series. While batting first the Indian team has already lost seven wickets under 200 runs, Indian pacer Shardul Thakur put up a brilliant 43-run stand with KL Rahul for the seventh wicket.

While Shardul Thakur was dismissed for 25 runs off 33 balls, he played a brilliant fighting knock which included three fours. Apart from playing a much-needed cameo, Thakur also faced some blows from the South African pacers during the day’s play.

Such a blow came and hit Shardul Thakur on his forehead where he also suffered swelling. Gerald Coetzee was the pacer who bowled a nasty bouncer at the Indian all-rounder.  He was also hit on his left arm. The physio had to enter the ground after which Thakur received some treatment and resumed batting. Shardul showed braveness and will now want to take some wickets with the ball and help his team come back in the match.

Watch – Shardul Thakur’s faces a bumper from Gerald Coetzee

pic.twitter.com/CTvjxikFox

— Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) December 26, 2023

Getting back to the match, the Indian team has already lost seven wickets under 200 runs and KL Rahul is the only recognized batsman present at the crease.

Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal added just 13 runs for the first wicket when Nandre Burger drew the first Indian blood and removed Sharma for 5 runs. Shubman Gill also didn’t last long and had to depart for 2 runs followed by Jaiswal for 17 runs.

It was Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who showed some fighting spirit and added 68 runs off 95 balls for the fourth wicket. Kohli at one end scored 38 runs, which included five fours, Iyer got out after scoring 31 runs. The Indian team lost one more wickets in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin and he was sent back for 8 runs.

The Rohit Sharma-led side now needs a strong partnership to reach a fighting first-innings total and now all the onus is on KL Rahul.

The Indian cricket team defeated South Africa in Centurion when they visited the country in 2021. However, Team India ended up losing the rest two games and also the series after a wonderful start. South Africa is the only country where India is yet to win a Test series.

India has lost in the African lands by 2-1 on their last two tours and now they will aim to register their first-ever Test series win and create history.

The Centurion pitch has always been effective for the fast bowlers due to the extra seam and bounce they receive from the surface. The Indian team has one of the best bowling attacks in the world consisting of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.

The pacers have been the reason behind the victories of the Indian team overseas for many years and they only scripted India’s historic win when they defeated South Africa last time in Centurion. The pacers will once again play an essential role in the two-match Test series against South Africa.